


Is No One Out There?

by ClockWords



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Eventual Smut, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Lots of plot, M/M, There's a lot to this, pls bare with me, there will be dicking and you won't have to wait until the end, wow I'm tired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 09:06:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17118431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockWords/pseuds/ClockWords
Summary: After Shiro went missing during his first mission with the Usavan Army, Keith moved to Fuushina so he could search for Shiro without so many people questioning him about the disappearance. In doing so, he meets Pidge, who does her best to help with his search. That was 3 and half years ago... Shiro has been haunting his dreams more often than usual, and when he has a vision in the middle of brewing a new potion, Keith finally decides to act upon all his strange imagery. He just hopes it leads to his lover, safe and in one piece.





	Is No One Out There?

**Author's Note:**

> Like many, I was irritated by the final season. Literally a week before it dropped, I got a Sheith zine in the mail I had ordered in August and the theme was Wedding Day. THAT should've been the wedding, omg. #CurtisWho? 
> 
> Anyway, this is a project I kind of wanted to start when season 5 dropped, after watching The Black Paladins. But never got around to doing so. After the disappointing ending in season 8, I decided to finally start this. And it's a happy ending lol. But I'm not really sure how many chapters this will have. 
> 
> Allura shall fucking live, y'all.  
> And Sheith is HERE. 
> 
> Here's a few things that will help you understand the fic:
> 
> Element: everyone has one. Can be used for combat, the medical field, and so on. Includes things like Fire, Cosmics, Metal, Water, and more. Also determines what colors your summoned weapon will be. 
> 
> Blessing: Who your core self is. Can be something like Rage, which is beneficial in battle. Things like Justice or Mercy can help in the battle field or political area, along with many others that do various things. 
> 
> Summoned Weapons: Can be combined to make something stronger. Example: Keith can summon a dagger. Summon two and combine them, he has a double-edged sword. 
> 
> Usava is a massive country. Fuushina is a small village in Usava. 
> 
> It's 5 in the morning, sweet jesus.

Sometimes, when I’m dreaming, I see him. 

Sometimes, I see him waving at me. Or he’s watching the sunset, in our usual spot on a short cliff above the Usavan waters, wearing his familiar and content smile. Or I’ll see him running somewhere, somewhere dark and unknown. In that case, I try to follow. But he’s always too fast. Gone like a blur when you’re driving down a long highway. 

But this time, I wasn’t expecting to wake up so damn early. Normally, the dreams about Shiro wake me up late into the night, rather than the start of the morning where dawn is just barely visible in the horizon. I’m a night owl, and much rather wake up at midnight (as if I’ll go to bed before that) than at 4:56 in the morning. 

I grunt, slowly sitting up from my small bed, running a stiff hand through my tousled hair. I glance out my window, noting it’s still dark. Which led my eyes to the dingy clock of mine on top of the just-as-dingy nightstand by my bed. I let out a small growl, rolling my eyes at the numbers on the screen.But then I try to remember what it was in the dream that yanked me back to reality, I’m not able to really put my finger on it. And I absolutely hate that, because I always remember a dream about Shiro. I’ve documented every one of them in three different journals since he went missing over three years ago, too. I spend a good fifteen minutes just sitting there, trying to pull it back to my memories. The only thing keeping me from going another fifteen is the sound of my stomach snarling at me. I sigh, swing my legs over the bed, and let my feet drop to the warm wood that awaits me. 

I grab my bandana off from my desk, rubbing the little enamel, cactus-shaped pin on its front. I wrap it around my neck, letting it hang loose across my collar bones. I pull on some shorts to go over my briefs, not really bothering with changing out of my black shirt. 

And of course, Pidge is in the little makeshift area we call a living room. At 4:56 in the goddamn morning. I walk sluggishly passed her and her little work area, her lamp on and every other light shut off. She’s working on… something… Don’t expect me to tell you what it is, because I have no godly idea. It takes just a few steps to get to our kitchen. I open a cupboard, pulling out a small box of Gods know what. 

“Pidge, it’s five in the morning. What’re you doing u-”

I hear something metal being set down, then another tool being picked up. “Keith, you never wake up before noon. I’m always awake. Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” She set down what I think are tweezers, glaring at me from behind her glasses. “And you really need to figure out your sleep talking issue. That remedy you made for it hasn’t been doing much good.” 

My sleep talking isn’t anything new. I found out I usually do it if my dream is centered around Shiro. And the sleep talk wouldn’t be a problem for Pidge; if we didn’t live in an oversized shack that had little capabilities of blocking sound from other rooms.  
“Sorry… I thought it was helping, since you haven’t said anything about it in a few days. I’ll try and tweak my ingredients.” I yawn, opening the small box. Empty. “...I’m gonna head into town today, try and shop for some food. You wanna come with?” I look over at Pidge’s small form. She’s still hunched over her project, pulling at a blue wire with her tweezers. 

“Sure, I need a break from this damn thing anyway.” She sighs, setting down her tweezers. I walk over where she’s sitting in a scruffy chair and peek over her shoulder. “What’re you working on?” I tilt my head, trying to make out what these little metal pieces could be.

“Something to help you see your dreams a little clearer. Remember when you told me about Shiro running off, and you tried to follow?” 

Of course I remember. I wrote it down, obviously. I was in some set of trees, and I saw Shiro run right past me. I tried running for him, but his direction blurred and I couldn’t see where he was going. That dream comes up about once a week, and initially started about a month ago. 

I nod. “Yeah, the one from a month ago? How is this gonna help me with my dreams?” 

She picks up a little blue piece, about the size of a dime. “Well, that specific dream seems to come up a lot. But you can never figure out what’s happening. This device will help with that by clearing up anything that’s keeping you from seeing whatever truth it is you’re actually trying to see. Just as soon as I get a couple more items from Allura’s shop, I’ll be able to finish it. I had to use some of your ingredients though, sorry about that.” She smiles a little, and I can tell she means it. So I let it slide. 

“Wow, that actually sounds awesome… How long have you…?” 

“About two weeks after you told me about the dream. And she’s almost done!” Pidge grins at me, then looks down at her work. “This is a little out of my capabilities, since this kind of topic is usually your specialty. Which is exactly why it’s taking so long.” I nod as I walk to the living room switch, flicking it up. As soon as the lights came on, she hissed and pulled her green hoodie over her face. I roll my eyes, adjusting my bandana. 

“Hey, I’m gonna go and get my ingredient gathering done early. You gonna be okay by yourself?” I ask, pulling the small rubber band I always keep around my wrist and tying my hair back. When Pidge looked back at me, she looked as if I insulted her damn intelligence. Which for Pidge is practically a crime. 

“I’m 21. I can handle myself.” 

“21 is mature to you?” 

“Not everyone laughs at dick jokes at 21 like you did, Keith.”

“I regret telling you that fucking story…” 

 

I retreat to my room, pulling on my black cloak and pulling the hood over my head. I change into some rough looking trousers, returning my shorts to my little closet. From my desk chair, I grab a sling-over bag and put it over my left shoulder, making sure my knife is safely inside. 

I pull it out, examining the black metal of the blade. I watched as scarlet-orange light traveled up the wedge, gently gripping the handle before placing it back into my bag. When I get back to the living room, just before I reach the small door that leads to the outside world, Pidge scolds me. 

“You aren’t wearing shoes again? You fucked up your right foot last time. It took 2 hours to get all the thorns out! Of one toe!”

I just roll my eyes. “I told you before, I fucking hate shoes. It doesn’t feel natural. Why are you even griping at me? You never wear shoes either!”

“My element is Nature, Keith. The natural world isn’t out to get me like it is you and your crazy-ass flames.”

“I have them under control, thanks.” With that, I leave and shut the wooden door behind me, gripping the sling of my bag. 

So maybe my flames can be an issue sometimes. I mean, I’ve never hurt anyone before. I just burn stuff sometimes. Sometimes it’s on purpose, other times it’s a complete accident. I just claim they’re all accidents though. So it seems a lot worse than it really is. 

Shiro used to tell me my flames were like a single heartbeat, scattered to make one big force. I didn’t really understand what he meant at the time, but I do now. And it makes me feel a little better about my Element. 

But nobody has ever set my uneasiness about my Blessing. Mostly because I haven’t told anyone it’s Distortion.

I bet Shiro would’ve been able to make Distortion sound like a gift from the stars themselves. He always had a way with making shitty things sound a little less shitty. 

As I walk through the thick woods of our claimed property, I try and get myself to remember my dream about Shiro. I keep my dream journal in my bag too, so if I happen to remember, I’ll be able to jot it down while it’s fresh. 

But it’s not coming to me. And that irks the hell outta me. 

So I try and focus on my surroundings, dawn’s light finally climbing up the horizon to greet my skin, and I watch as silent birds fly by while my feet had leaves and small twigs crunching below them. They probably weren’t happy about the slight disturbance. The animals of the forest have always liked Pidge more than me... 

I reach my usual harvesting spot in a hushed-away area of brush. I spy some nightshade, plucking it and putting it in my bag. I’m careful to clean my hands afterwards, of course. 

And that’s when I hear it. A garbled moan.

That was a sound of pain, and slow death. I know that sound all too well. 

I follow the sound, small sparks unintentionally kicking up in my hand. Then I hear it again, and again and again until I find the source about 30 feet away from my initial point of hearing it. 

The source isn’t pretty, either. I try to control the sparks in my palms as I kneel down, crouching just a few feet away from a heap on the ground. It’s a deer, and it’s dying. 

“H-hey… I’m gonna come closer, okay? I have a remedy that’ll-”

“HE’S RUNNING!” the deer screamed, head raised and animal eyes wild while its legs kicked in a frenzy. Birds scattered at the sudden burst of noise, frightened and trying to escape the grasp of the vibrations of sound. 

I jump back, tripping when I did and busting my ass on the hard earth. And I’m startled out of my goddamn mind. 

This deer just fucking yelled at me. And before I could say anything else, it’s head suddenly dropped cold, and I knew what that meant. 

“What the fuck.” I feel my heart racing, the sudden disturbance from the deer clearly affecting the forest and the creatures who live in it.

It wasn’t unusual to have one of the forest animals try and take you somewhere, or play tricks on you by hiding your things. But having an animal speak to you? Much less yell at you? 

I decided I needed to talk to Allura in town. Her element is Animal Allegiance. Her connection to the creatures of this planet is only challenged by someone with the same element. Maybe she knows what the fuck that was. But I’d have to wait until it wasn’t the buttcrack of dawn.  
To make matters worse, I could feel a chill go down my spine. That voice wasn’t typical. It was horrified and in so much pain. It was like I was feeling its scream rather than hearing it. And that wasn’t something I liked…

I gather myself up, suddenly wanting to get as far away from this scene as possible. ‘Who’s running? Where are they running to?’ 

I can still feel the cold chills go down my back as I walk back to mine and Pidge’s den. 

But that’s when it hits me. My dream. I was dreaming about Shiro running to… to where..? I can’t remember... It’s not like the dream I have once a week. This one is darker. Murky, like a swamp. 

Fuck, where’s Shiro…

When I make it back to our little house, Pidge is passed out on her desk. I couldn’t help the small smile that escaped me. I grab a blue blanket from a storage box in the living room, and draped it over her small frame. 

I went to my room, pulling my hood back. I decide to just take it off all together, folding it and setting it on my desk chair. I set my bag back behind my chair, then decide I just need to shower and try mulling all of this under a spray of water. 

God, I’m tired. I suddenly feel drained as I start the small, tiny shower. I honestly feel like the soul was sucked out of me. Well, I guess it was scared outta me. Heh. 

I strip down, the deer’s voice playing in my head again as I stuck my head under the almost-too-hot spray of the shower. I let my thoughts try and wander towards any possible answers to what the hell it was talking about. Whose voice did that belong to? Surely not the deer’s… 

I try to not let the idea of Shiro being the person it was talking about. I feel shivers go down my back again at the thought alone. But then again, maybe it’d be a good thing? If I wasn’t imagining that wild scene, then maybe… maybe if I figure this out, I’ll finally find him. 

I tell myself he’s not dead. Because he’s not. I know he’s not. Shiro’s out there somewhere and I’m going to find him. 

The day I was told he went missing was probably the worst fucking day of my life. I was still living in the Capital Of Usava at the time, and I had just finished tending to my garden in the back. I heard the knock, and I knew it wasn’t Shiro, because why would he knock on a door that belonged to his own house? 

I was weary, and when I had opened the door I was met with one of the Usavan army soldiers. I recognized her; someone from Shiro’s team. Her name escapes me. 

And just like that, I was told he was missing and that search parties were already on the move. “Faulty mission”, she had said. And I remember being furious. Not at the soldier in front of me. But with the fact that they managed to lose him in general. How can you let one of your biggest soldiers just… vanish? It made no sense to me at the time. 

I remember running past her, headed to the police station. They had told me he was reported missing 4 hours ago. 

4 hours. He was only gone for 4 hours. 

So I found out where his last location was, and went hunting myself. Of course, I never found him. I searched the Usavan woods all damn night… All morning, too. Until my neighbor found me, and had me actually sleep. She was kind. Let me sleep on her couch. I was so exhausted I had thought I was home. 

And that day was hell on earth. I didn’t leave the house. Couldn’t sleep at night. He never came back. I kept telling myself he would. That he’d turn up and everything would be fine. I’d be able to sleep against him again. Wake up to his face sleeping soundly with a light snore to go with it. 

But he never. Fucking. Returned. 

I didn’t stop my searching, either. I had to move here, in Fuushina. People knew I was an item with Shiro. So they thought I would have answers. I got tired of it. And moved to Fuushina.

Thinking back on it now, it was a stupid idea. What if Shiro came home, and I wasn’t there? I hadn’t told anyone where I was going. He had no way of finding me. I just had a note on our front door that said “Gone, might be back someday.” Stupid, I know. 

“Fuck… Takashi…” 

I can feel the pricks of tears at the corners of my eyes. It’s been almost 4 years, but the emotion still sneaks up on me sometimes. 

I decide I just wanna soak in the bath instead of shower. So I shut off the shower head and turn on the bath faucet instead, and slink down against the wall with my legs out. 

And I stare for what felt like hours. 

With the sound of that demon deer’s voice screaming in my skull, I lean my head back against the wall. I let my mind drift. 

Often, Shiro and I would shower together. Sometimes it’s just domestic and we sit together silently in the tub, simply basking in each other’s existence. But sometimes it’d be heated, and slow and deep and just right. He’d bite at my neck while pushing me against the cold tile of the wall. The water would run down our bodies, and I could feel his breath against my neck. 

God it was perfect. 

And now? Now I’m looking for him. Hoping he’ll be back. I’m looking for signs. Always looking. 

 

And after this morning in the woods, I think I found the sign I’ve been searching for so goddamn long.


End file.
